Those Who Touch My Things All Die! (2)
Yoon Jong’s eye wouldn’t stop twitching.
The number of martial artists spread out before him was in the hundreds, at the very least. Seeing those densely packed figures bare their teeth sent a chill straight down his spine.
“What the hell!”
“Stop them! Block those bastards first!”
The agitated martial artists started charging toward Chung Myung’s group with bloodshot eyes.
Was he scared?
Of course he was. But what he feared wasn’t the ones rushing in at him—it was what that man might do.
“Raaaahhhhh!”
At the front, Chung Myung swung his scabbard and smacked the charging men aside, sending them flying.
CRACK!
“Gah!”
“Aaaaaaagh!”
One of the men struck in the face by Chung Myung’s scabbard was launched sky-high. Yoon Jong, who knew exactly how painful it was to be hit by that thing, couldn’t help feeling sorry for the person now flying through the air like a bird.
He won’t be eating meat for a month.
No, maybe he’d have to live on porridge for the rest of his life. It was far too cruel a price to pay for coming here in search of a divine weapon, but what could anyone do?
Chung Myung was a natural disaster.
People swept up in a typhoon or struck by lightning didn’t ask why. They just cursed their bad luck and regretted their lack of preparation.
The only mistake had been coming here at all, and being in front of Chung Myung when he arrived.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Chung Myung’s scabbard relentlessly battered and flung aside everyone in sight.
“Aaaagh!”
“Waaahhh!”
Those sent flying by his scabbard could do nothing except scream. Even in this desperate situation, Yoon Jong didn’t forget to close his eyes for a moment and pay silent respects to the airborne victims.
It was unfortunate for them, but this couldn’t be helped. The reason was simple: Chung Myung had already gone half out of his mind.
“Sword Tomb! Sword Tomb! Elixir! Inner energy!”
Those were the words flying out of Chung Myung’s mouth each time he struck someone down.
He really has been holding back for a long time.
He had never exactly been patient to begin with. And yet he had set the stage and waited until the Wudang Sect arrived. How suffocating must that have been?
Now, it was as though Chung Myung intended to vent all that frustration here, sweeping through the surroundings like a storm.
Those who hadn’t noticed Mount Hua’s arrival at first were forced to turn their heads the instant they saw people soaring into the sky.
“W-what the hell?”
“Why are people flying?”
The eyes of the crowd went wide.
Where else in the world could one see people flying through the air like birds? That absurd sight was enough to make even their obsession with the Sword Tomb vanish for an instant.
What on earth is that?
That was the sentiment almost everyone shared.
Those in front couldn’t see what was happening behind them. All they could witness were figures being knocked away in every direction.
But everyone gathered here had spent at least some time wandering the martial world. The shock was only momentary; soon enough, they all understood the situation.
Even if they didn’t know who he was, they couldn’t mistake his strength. Just from the divine bearing Chung Myung displayed as he stood at the front, wielding his scabbard and sending men flying, it was obvious that a formidable rival had appeared.
“Leave them! Enter the Sword Tomb!”
They quickly decided the priority was not stopping Mount Hua. The strong tore through the encirclement and surged into the Sword Tomb. Those who had only come hoping to pick up scraps were shoved aside by the stronger factions and couldn’t even get close.
And naturally, Mount Hua belonged to the strong. At least among those gathered here, they did.
“Raaahhh!”
Chung Myung once again sent the people before him flying.
“Pull yourselves together and keep up!”
“Got it!”
Yoon Jong, right behind Chung Myung, immediately caught on to the change in front of his eyes.
The path is opening?
The dense wall of people ahead, pressed back by Chung Myung’s momentum, began parting to the left and right.
This bastard, honestly!
Yoon Jong’s gaze fixed on the back of Chung Myung’s head.
Had they tried to force their way in clumsily, they would have had to brace for fierce resistance. But because Chung Myung had burst in so spectacularly and swept the area clean from the start, the people surrounding the Sword Tomb instinctively began backing off.
They had more than just Mount Hua to fight.
They didn’t know what the Sword Tomb’s interior looked like. In other words, even if they made it inside, no one knew how much more trouble they would have to face.
Those who knew that weren’t about to waste their strength fighting a powerful enemy from the very beginning. Naturally, they chose to open a path and preserve their stamina.
Did he even account for that and deliberately make such a flashy scene?
Yoon Jong couldn’t tell what Chung Myung was thinking, but the result was obvious. And soon enough, Yoon Jong could confirm that his guess had been correct with his own eyes.
Once the path opened, Chung Myung raised his voice.
“Go in! Once you’re inside, smash the entrance to bits!”
“Huh?”
That wasn’t what he’d—
And then it happened.
Before Yoon Jong could even make sense of Chung Myung’s words, people reacted. Strong fighters who had been holding their breath all around suddenly shot into the Sword Tomb at frightening speed.
Yoon Jong’s eyes widened.
What the hell are you planning, you bastard?
The ones rushing into the Sword Tomb now were undoubtedly among the strongest here. Their speed made that all too clear.
At this point, they should have been desperately trying to stop those people from entering, so why was he driving his competitors into the Sword Tomb?
“Move in! Now!”
As the few strong fighters entered, the sects followed. Even while swinging swords at one another, they did not stop rushing forward. One or two sects gained the upper hand and shoved through the crowd, pouring into the Sword Tomb in waves.
“Hey, shouldn’t we be stopping that?!”
Even though the path had opened, Chung Myung’s speed toward the Sword Tomb never changed.
“Why?”
“Because that’ll thin out the competition.”
“Sahyung.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re still a long way from becoming sect leader.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Just as Yoon Jong was about to ask something, Chung Myung flicked his sword once and surged forward. Yoon Jong pressed his lips together and hurried after him.
“Punk weeds, get out of the way!”
There were people who tried to stop Chung Myung now and then, but they were swept away by his sword wind like dead leaves in an autumn gale.
“Keep up!”
Yoon Jong shouted as he chased after Chung Myung. Jo Gul, guarding his rear, Yu I-seol, and Baek Cheon at the very back all slashed left and right, stubbornly clinging to Chung Myung’s trail.
Then Yoon Jong’s expression hardened.
Something splashed wetly against his foot as he stepped.
Blood.
The ground here had already begun soaking through with it.
This isn’t a spar.
Every hair on his body seemed to stand on end one by one. He hadn’t felt it because Chung Myung had been taking the lead, but this place had already become a slaughterhouse where people killed and were killed.
Yoon Jong bit his lip hard and stayed close to Chung Myung.
Those who had been suppressed by Chung Myung’s momentum and then tried to target the rear were being blocked in full by Baek Cheon’s sword.
Before long, the Mount Hua disciples had nearly reached the entrance to the Sword Tomb.
Chung Myung glanced around.
Almost everyone worth taking is already in.
Anything beyond this was meaningless.
“Everyone, leap in—”
But then—
“Mount Hua Divine Dragooooooon!”
Chung Myung flinched and turned his head. A beggar with a familiar face burst out of the forest and came running toward them with desperate speed, like a hound with its tail on fire.
“Hey, you shameless bastard! If you’ve already squeezed us dry, at least take us with youuuu!”
Seeing the beggar gasping and sweating as he ran, a trace of pity that Chung Myung had thought long since gone quietly poked its head back up in his chest.
“Tsk.”
Chung Myung shook his head and motioned to Baek Cheon.
“Sasuk! Take the kids in first. I’ll bring those beggars along.”
“Will you be all right?”
“Don’t worry about it!”
“Understood!”
Baek Cheon no longer argued. In a situation like this, whether an opinion was right or wrong didn’t matter. When an absurd order came down telling you to jump into hellfire, you needed the drive to grit your teeth and throw yourself in if you wanted to salvage anything at all.
“I’ll take the lead! Yu Sago, take the rear!”
“Yes!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Baek Cheon threw himself into the gaping mouth of the Sword Tomb. Yoon Jong, Jo Gul, and Yu I-seol followed in succession.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Someone who had been rushing toward the entrance took a kick from Chung Myung and bounced away.
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
“Hurry up! Hurry!”
“A-ah, damn it!”
Hong Dae-gwang could no longer contain his panic and fidgeted in frustration.
“Those damned bastards were so happy to clear a path for Mount Hua! Do they think we’re easy? What do they take the Beggars’ Sect for!”
The ones who had opened the way for Chung Myung now stood blocking Hong Dae-gwang’s path instead. Staring at the layered human wall piling up before him, Hong Dae-gwang looked ready to go insane.
“You damned beggars! Open the way already! The Sword Tomb is right there!”
“Huff... huff... Branch Leader, we’ve spent too much strength just getting here!”
“That’s what you have to say?! Those Mount Hua brats are already almost there!”
“Sorry, but we can’t do it!”
Hong Dae-gwang’s face turned scarlet.
What, did those bastards boil and eat dragon bones or something?
How in the world had they broken through that absurd human wall? No matter how much of a monster the Mount Hua Divine Dragon was, wasn’t this going too far?
Then it happened.
“Raaaaahhh!”
From behind, Chung Myung—who had been watching the situation—rushed in as if to show them exactly how he had broken through. In an instant, he shoved aside the people blocking Hong Dae-gwang’s path.
That kid’s the real deal.
Hong Dae-gwang’s eyes widened at the sight of Chung Myung swinging his scabbard.
The people gathered here were absolutely not to be underestimated.
Even the Wudang disciples, for all that they were praised, were still unripe fruit when viewed against the entire martial world. Chung Myung defeating them was impressive, yes, but that was only the measure of a contest among the younger generation.
But the faces gathered here were enough to put pressure even on Hong Dae-gwang. And yet Chung Myung was carving a path through them as casually as if they were nothing.
Hong Dae-gwang’s assessment of Mount Hua—and Chung Myung—began rising sharply…
“What are you doing? There’s nothing worth picking up over there! Hurry up!”
No. It began dropping sharply.
“I’m coming! You cheeky little brat!”
Whatever the assessment, now was the time to charge first.
“We’ve got to take the others in too!”
“Tsk.”
Chung Myung clicked his tongue as if deeply displeased, then sprinted forward.
Huh?
He’s rushing in?
He grabbed the beggars one-handed and started hurling them backward.
“Aaaagh!”
“Hey, why are you throwing— whoaAAAAAA!”
Hong Dae-gwang’s eyes went wide. It looked like he was just tossing them around carelessly, but every single one of them was sucked neatly into the entrance of the Sword Tomb.
It’s like he’s playing ball with them.
If the ones flying in hadn’t been his own men, Hong Dae-gwang would have found the whole thing genuinely amusing.
In no time at all, Chung Myung had thrown the beggars into the entrance, then snapped his head around to stare at Hong Dae-gwang. Hong Dae-gwang caught the terrible gleam in those eyes and immediately understood what he had to do.
“O-okay, I’m going!”
Hong Dae-gwang bit down hard on his lip and threw himself toward the Sword Tomb entrance. If he dragged this out any longer, he had no idea what that vicious bastard might do to him.
Once the Beggars’ Sect had all entered the Sword Tomb, Chung Myung stood at the entrance and scanned the surroundings.
“Hmm.”
It looked like all the worthwhile ones were inside, leaving only the weeds behind.
If I wait a little longer, more useful ones might come.
But speed mattered too. Wasting time here was not a wise choice.
As Chung Myung blocked the entrance, the people who had been momentarily startled by his storm-like charge fell silent and looked at him. Then they realized Chung Myung was alone.
No matter how strong he was, there was no way he could handle everyone gathered here by himself. Exchanging glances, they slowly began closing in on him.
But Chung Myung only surveyed the surroundings carefully, as if they didn’t even register in his eyes, and then furrowed his brow.
This looks like a martial arena.
In the middle of the thick forest, a circular clearing had been carved out. The earth of that clearing even seemed to carry a faint reddish tint.
It felt almost like a martial arena where countless people had fought.
Well, that doesn’t matter.
With a indifferent expression, Chung Myung drew his sword from its scabbard.
Ching!
At that chilling ring, the men approaching him unconsciously took a step back.
“That’s as far as the invitation goes.”
Chung Myung grinned.
“Well then, see you next time.”
He leapt into the gaping hole behind him. At the same moment, his sword began sweeping left and right.
Slash! Slash!
With the heavy, slicing sound echoing in the air, Chung Myung’s figure vanished inside.
And then—
RUMBLEEEEEE!
The instant Chung Myung charged in, the entrance to the Sword Tomb began collapsing in earnest.
“N-no!”
“Stop him!”
The pale-faced onlookers rushed forward too late, but by the time they arrived, the entrance had already caved in completely, buried beneath rock and earth.
“Dig! Dig it out now, damn it!”
“That treacherous bastard!”
The ones left behind screamed and charged at the blocked entrance. But to dig through a collapsed entrance would take at least several hours.
Everyone stared helplessly at the sealed hole.
In their minds, the face of the young bastard who had brought the Sword Tomb entrance crashing down was carved far too deeply to ever be erased.